X
- 2021
- R
- A24
- 1 h 46 m
- 2021
- R
- A24
- 1 h 46 m
Summary A childless couple in rural Iceland make an alarming discovery one day in their sheep barn. They soon face the consequences of defying the will of nature.
Directed By: Valdimar Jóhannsson
Written By: Sjón, Valdimar Jóhannsson
- 2021
- R
- A24
- 1 h 46 m
- 2021
- R
- A24
- 1 h 46 m
Lamb
68
6.2
Where to Watch
Summary A childless couple in rural Iceland make an alarming discovery one day in their sheep barn. They soon face the consequences of defying the will of nature.
Directed By: Valdimar Jóhannsson
Written By: Sjón, Valdimar Jóhannsson
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 33 Critic Reviews
68
70% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
30% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 33 Critic Reviews
68
70% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
30% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
In scene after scene we don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’re sure it will be worth the wait, especially because of Ms. Rapace’s presence.
The film as a whole is neither scary nor particularly interested in the nature of its ‘monster’, though it is undoubtedly strange and often unsettling.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 80 User Ratings
6.2
54% Positive
43 Ratings
43 Ratings
33% Mixed
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
14% Negative
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 80 User Ratings
6.2
54% Positive
43 Ratings
43 Ratings
33% Mixed
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
14% Negative
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
This is one of those movies that comes from one in a thousand. I explain? At first the viewer does not know what he is seeing, at least until he follows the plot in detail; that without counting a disconcerting ending that leaves a strange taste in the mouth. It deserves a chance.
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The result, for those who can overcome the substantial “suspension of disbelief” hurdle, is engrossing and unsettling. As ridiculous as the premise might sound, the film is not easily forgotten. It lingers.
What felt like an unusual metaphor for how parenting taps into an inherent need to nurture suddenly swerves into Grimms’ fairy-tale territory. It’s the sweetest, most touching waking nightmare you’ve ever experienced.
While it’s not a thoroughly satisfying stew of style and substance—plus, it could’ve used some sharper scares—Lamb nonetheless leaves a unique enough aftertaste for one to crave more of the same distinctive weirdness from Jóhannsson in the future.
More Tusk than, say, the goat who runs wild in The Witch. I won’t make the obvious joke and say it’s baaad. But its sheep thrills are mutton to write home about, either.
Lamb preens and strains to be admired even as it reduces its characters to pieces on a game board and its actors to puppets.
The shock of appreciating some moments of this film is abysmal. Is a simple story and it develops slowly, but it's full of very captivating and disturbing nuances.
From the first impression upon seeing the lamb, the film grabs you and keeps you on the edge of your seat in a rather strange and attractive visual tension.
It manages to generate a quite large impact visually and conceptually speaking just like it companions in the A24 (Hereditary, Midsommar, The Lighthouse, The Witch, Saint Maud, etc.), while achieving a unique and incomparable style.
The performances were great, even the lamb. The directing of Valdimar Jóhannsson takes advantage of everything he has at his fingertips, captivating us with a unique vision and leaving us with much to think about.
Maybe at first, you won't really understand the film in all its complexity, you just need a little explanation of the meaning of the film and from there, you begin to raise your own theories and interpretations of the film.
Nevertheless, at times, for a strange reason, I felt like I was watching another live action film of Stuart Little, but this doesn't last long.
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I liked it, although I wish I would've liked it better. The whole situation the film revolves about is as awkward as funny. But I felt there was some lack of substance in here. The brother, for example, serves no purpose at all in the film; and I think the story only explores the surface when it comes to grief. Loved the premise, but the execution was not what I expected. Go and see 'Annette' for a better freak child film.
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I could easily dismiss this film, and incidentally put it as an example of why arthouse films are often criticized so much.
After all, the premise is just absurd, but as a viewer you must fully accept it, otherwise you won't be able to advance.
Even with issues boiling under the surface, Lamb is merely a bizarre story set in the situation the film presents us with that animal. Which in this story is a kind of human / animal hybrid.
There are a lot of questions of course, but this film doesn't even ask them.
And it is not for lack of intention, it's simply that it makes it clear that this's not its endgame.
Problematically Lamb has an obstacle that stands out too much for a decision that was clearly made by the director.
I'm talking about the seriousness of it.
This story takes itself too seriously, in all its elements.
Nothing about it is open to a funny interpretation, and yet it happens. The film just can't help it.
The lack of depth only adds more problems to the solemnity of the overall tone of the story.
The incredibly open conclusion only raises more questions, although it answers the most basic one. However at that point, I just cannot deny a part of my dissatisfaction.
And I'm a viewer who privileges the journey over the destination, however Lamb owes more for what it proposes than for what it ends up achieving.
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bad
[ bad ]
adjective, worse, worst;(Slang) bad·der, bad·dest for 36.
not good in any manner or degree.
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Production Company
Black Spark Film & TV,
Chimney Poland,
Chimney Sweden,
Film i Väst,
Go to Sheep,
Madants,
Rabbit Hole Productions
Release Date Oct 8, 2021
Duration 1 h 46 m
Rating R
Tagline Mother. Nature.
Website
https://a24films.com/films/lamb
Awards
Edda Awards, Iceland
• 12 Wins & 13 Nominations
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
Cannes Film Festival
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
